


A Day in the Life

by IrishCoffee



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-13
Updated: 2015-01-13
Packaged: 2018-03-07 10:07:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3170888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrishCoffee/pseuds/IrishCoffee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was done for the Rare Pair Bingo event but I didn't finish it before the deadline and someone won before the word came up again. (I forgot about it until today also)</p><p>Edited and complete here is my drabble for the word 'Routine'. I'm not sure what more needs said after that, it IS the routine of Greg and Jim's life, what little they have (and what can only loosely be called a routine). It's a very quick and easy read but a cute glimpse at how they function.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Day in the Life

**Wednesday**

**5:00 am**  
An alarm buzzes through the silent bedroom, cutting through the sound of the rain hitting the windows and the soft snoring. Jim reaches over and hits snooze. Not yet.

 **5:09 am**  
An alarm buzzes again. The rain is still falling but the snoring has stopped. The last alarm was enough to pull everyone out of their deep sleeps. Jim reaches over and resets the alarm. It’s time to get up

 **5:12 am**  
Half asleep still, Jim stands in front of the coffee maker and scoops grounds into the filter. Water poured in before flipping the switch, turning the machine on. Within seconds the sound of percolating grows in the dark kitchen. The smell of coffee increases as the water drips in. Shuffling off, dropping the dimmer switch to turn off what little light he’d provided himself, Jim makes his way up to the shower.

 **5:13 am**  
A pass through the bedroom. Greg has fallen back asleep. He’s laying on his back, arm still out from where Jim was laying against him, and snoring again. No evidence his partner is missing from the bed.

 **5:17 am**  
Jim’s pre-shower routine starts. The routine of his morning could be broken down to the second. It’s always the same, bordering on compulsions rather than routine. The necessities collected and set in their proper place. Everything is ready for when it’s needed.

 **5:23 am**  
With brushed teeth and the bathroom in correct order the water is turned on and temperature adjusted. Standing under the running water of the multiple shower heads Jim slowly wakes up.

 **5:41 am**  
Soaped and rinsed from head to toe, twice, Jim exits the shower. Wrapping a towel around his waist before heading to the mirror to shave. As with everything he does there’s practice and precision displayed. The last bit of the night’s sleep wearing off.

 **5:57 am**  
Personal grooming and cleanliness taken care of Jim moves on to less important tasks. Quietly he walks from the bedroom to the wardrobe. After some debate there’s an outfit assembled. Only a pair of boxer briefs and jeans for now, the rest can wait until later.

 **6:15 am  
** The same alarm buzzes again. Greg’s aware it’s coming. He’s been slowly coming out of the deep sleep as Jim moves around getting ready. The now familiar sounds are no longer enough to wake him but they tell him the alarm is approaching. Still he hits snooze. Not yet.

 **6:24, 6:33, 6:42, and 6:51 am**  
Snooze is hit. Greg refuses to get up and start his day. They factor this into the morning, Jim knows this happens. Greg can get up after a few rounds of snoozing and enjoy some time with Jim or he can sleep in nine minute intervals, the choice is always his. This morning; it’s sleep.

 **7:00 am**  
Greg slams his hand on the alarm clock again, furious with it for trying to wake him yet again.

 **7:01 am**  
Realising it’s one of those mornings, Jim returns to the bedroom. Stealing the blankets from the bed, Jim gives his own wake up call. Greg is running out of time to successfully go about his morning.

 **7:05 am**  
It’s Greg’s turn to shuffle down stairs. He pours two cups of coffee but doctors up neither. He drinks his black, Jim on the other hand prefers a few more additives. Carrying both mugs upstairs less than carefully but with ingrained skill. One mug is thrust at Jim, the other carried into the bathroom, already half gone.

 **7:06 am**  
Jim heads back downstairs, partly dressed, and into the kitchen. It’s a trip that he could have avoided long ago, when they were still working out their morning routine, but there’s something endearing about the automated gesture. Even asleep Greg is taking care of Jim.

Some morning he’s adds the needed cream and sugar to the coffee and carries it back upstairs to drink as he gets ready. Other mornings he dumps it back in the carafe and sticks to his tea. Greg is groggy enough in the morning that he doesn’t notice what’s in the mug, just whether or not Jim has it.

This morning he opts for keeping the coffee. It looks like he’s going to need all the extra get-up-and-go he can. While in the kitchen, Jim throws a couple small gold potatoes in the oven to cook. Breakfast is an easy one today but requires some prep work.

 **7:11 am**  
Greg is out of the shower and dried off. Without putting any clothes on (what a waste of time that’d be) he joins Jim in the kitchen. Slow to wake, Greg is nothing more than grunts and a few mumbled protests about the lights. They’re barely on, just enough to light the room, Jim knows better than to turn them on all the way.

A good morning kiss is given before Greg heads to refill his mug. It’ll take a few more refills before he’s functioning.

 **7:13 am**  
After some groaning, stretching, and little more drip drying the men are upstairs in the bedroom to get dressed for the day.

Jim is already half dressed. Spending most of his day as a professor today, the early makings of his outfit reflecting that.

Greg had only one career choice, Detective Chief Inspector. His wardrobe had improved vastly in the past year. These days he didn’t even need a second opinion after dressing. What hadn't changed was how little time it took to get dressed. Greg followed Jim into their wardrobe and sat down in the chair. Without clothes and sipping coffee.

 **7:27 am**  
Greg passes off an empty mug to his now completely dressed partner (except for shoes) for a refill. Jim pushes Greg’s head back into the wall playfully acting as if this routine request was troublesome. He reminds Greg that if he doesn’t get up and get dressed himself he’ll either be late for work or going naked. The latter would be an interesting way to catch criminals but not the choice Jim would want him to make.

With that he disappears down to the kitchen again, tea for himself this round but coffee for Greg.

Greg finds his way to his clothes reluctantly. As much as he loves his job, and he does, it’s a struggle to get there some days. The office is draining at times. It’s glorified babysitting at its worst and every day isn’t as exciting as telly would lead you to believe.

 **7:29 am**  
Greg manages to get his boxers on but nothing more by the time Jim returns. Another mug of coffee accepted without a thank you. It’s fact that it happens, Greg takes it for granted. Jim goes about his business and lets Greg get ready.

 **7:31 am**  
Jim is across the hall in his office. The day’s papers being carefully packed up. Any spare things he needs for the day packed up as well. He’s far more efficient at starting his day than the man grumbling over socks right now.

 **7:37 am**  
Both men converge on the kitchen for the last time this morning. The fact that Greg has managed to get dressed means there’s time for him to eat. It’s not a full English kind of morning here but they can do better than dumping cereal in a coffee mug to eat as you drive. Jim cooks. It’s the only choice.

Prep work had already started. Boxty. Simple enough while feeling like a proper meal. Jim’s made it dozens of times before and breezes through the work.

They’ll sit at the island in the middle of the kitchen, not the dining room table. Greg is reading yesterday’s newspaper. Missed the chance to do so yesterday. Still he puts it down to help set out dishes. Jim might be the chef but Greg is far from helpless.

 **7:45 am**  
Jim sits beside Greg, plates in front of them. It’s the first time Greg does something more than look like the living dead. A warm smile flashes on his face. It’s a thank you as well as an expression of how happy he is. Barely able to speak words, he certainly can’t hide emotions this early. These reminders of how great he has it aren’t lost even in the last clutches of sleep.

 **7:49 am**  
Greg finishes his breakfast and Jim insists he didn’t have chance to taste it. Greg shrugs and laughs. Another comment tossed off about father and son being alike that Greg equally dismisses.

 **7:53 am**  
Jim finishes eating. His portion had been considerably smaller. One of the potato pancakes to his partner’s three. Greg downs the last half of his coffee cup in one gulp then clears the plates. Leftover food in the trash and the plates get a quick rinse but are left in the sink.

 **7:54 am**  
Walking over to where Jim was sitting, Greg leans in for another kiss. He announces that he has to leave now even though they both know it. It’s the first actual words Greg has said since he woke.

 **7:56 am**  
As he does every day, Greg loads his pockets with everything he dumped out the night before. Throwing on his coat and a scarf. Gloves then stuffed in the pocket of his coat. The messenger bag he’s taken to carrying around now thrown over his shoulder and out the door he goes.

 **7:58 am**  
Greg heads out of the drive. Two minutes to spare before the absolute last leave time. If he drives fast enough he can stop by a coffee shop before work.

Jim remains in the house, he has a while before he has to leave. Heading over to the sink to take care of the breakfast dishes Greg left. The day would be all wrong knowing those were there.

 **8:03 am**  
The office door pushed opened and Jim enters to start on some work. The kind it’s best Greg doesn’t know about.

 **8:47 am**  
Thanks to a total disregard for suggested speed limits Greg arrives at a Starbucks not all that far from New Scotland Yard and grabs the biggest cup of brewed coffee they have. He’s never been the one for anything other than black coffee. Recently he’s tried a few of the other drinks offered because of Jim. They all taste like pure sugar and nothing like coffee.

 **8:56 am**  
Parking in the same spot as every day, Greg arrives at work. Everything about his arrival is as routine as the rest of his morning. The coffee sits on the roof and he slings the bag over his shoulder. Car door shut, locks clicked, and Greg takes his last minute of silence to finish his cigarette. The modest car he use to park in this space now replaced by something flashy. Uncharacteristic of the officer but he likes it.

 **9:00 am**  
Greg clocks in for another day.

 **9:30 am**  
Jim hangs up the phone. The caller lacked respect and therefore not a worthy client. For now the King of Crime hangs up his crown.

 **9:50 am**  
Enough work taken care of here, Jim moves on to his other job. Office hours are approaching and though the professor often loathes the time, it’s required. Almost two hours after his partner, Jim gets in his car and heads to the university.

 **10:30 am**  
Right on time comes the first knock against the door. Jim knows who it is before moving out from behind his desk. It’s the same student every day. He sends off a text, requesting a quick and painless death from Greg to save him the agony. Of course it ends with a winking face but Greg understands what that means now.

 **11:19 am**  
Greg responds with the complaint that if he shot Jim there would be no one to put the officer out of his own misery. There’s no emoticon to end Greg’s message. Not that there ever is.

Both men are completely into their day. Routine no longer applies. You have to adapt. Still, tomorrow isn’t far off and again they’ll go through the motions. Satisfied with the small bit of comfort that comes from having something so consistent, even if every morning isn’t the same. It’s close enough. It’s missed when it isn’t there. Taken for granted when it is.


End file.
